The evolutions of Francis Kéré

The monograph by Arquitectura Viva traces the career of the Burkina Faso-born architect whose studio is in Berlin. From his first project in 2001 up to the Serpentine Pavilion in 2017

Issue 201 of AV Monographs (Avisa Publisher) is dedicated to one of the emblems of socially-oriented architecture. Originally from Burkina Faso but a Berliner by adoption, Francis Kéré frequently and gladly returns to Africa, and has always been committed to a type of construction modelled on the idea of the “necessary”, accustomed to proving itself in creative ways with limited resources and using sustainable techniques. The monograph by Arquitectura Viva traces the architect’s career starting with the school built in 2001 for his native Gando, thanks to which he conquered the Aga Khan prize for architecture (2004), followed then by a selection of twenty projects, almost all in Africa, except the Volksbühne Satellite Theater in Berlin, and five installations, among which are the Sensing Spaces Pavilion (2013-2014) and Serpentine Gallery Pavilion (2016-2017) in London.

For Kéré the financial limitation becomes a tool for getting to the essential processes and languages of architecture, until they are reduced to their original and primordial condition, freeing them of everything that is an accessory. A “nude” and necessary beauty whose roots are sunk deep in the ground where it is born and in its social climate, and which teaches that development happens not only through philanthropy but also through intelligent design strategies and by making local populations responsible for participating actively and personally in it.

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16 November 2018

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